This week, we profile Cecilia Lange who is a third-grade teacher in Struthers. The mother of five is a Poland Youth Soccer Association board member and coach of a 15-under boys travel team.
By Tom Williams
Q: How did you become a soccer coach and board member?
A: I got involved because when I first moved here from Arizona in 1993, I didn’t know anybody. This is what got me involved with the community — I wanted friends. My oldest son, Thomas, was playing and I started helping out on the sidelines. I never played soccer in my life. The following year, I became a coach when my daughter Allison played. Then for her travel team, I was an assistant coach. We ended up adopting two little boys and I became coach for Ian when he started playing. Now, I’m his travel coach for the U-15 team.
Q:. As a mom, was coaching boys a challenge?
A: It isn’t bad [but] it’s been an experience ... a woman head coach was kind of a change. I’ve been his coach all the way [but] hopefully this will be my last year coaching boys travel.
Q:. How did you get from Arizona to Poland?
A: My husband, Tom, is originally from Youngstown. We moved here because his family is here. We had lived in Chandler, Ariz., which is huge so I wanted to come to a community where you knew everybody. I came from Florence, Ariz., which is a small town. I’m from a big family, one of six children and the only one to move out of Arizona.
Q: How did you become a board member?
A: I had been coaching for a few years when I was approached about being on the board. I thought it was such a great idea because I wanted to be involved with this community, especially with soccer. I love soccer, especially with what they did. I loved how they managed everything — same rules for everybody. It just seemed like they were so welcoming. That’s how I got to know everybody. I’ve been on the board since 2000. If I can stand it longer, I‘ll probably be on it for 10 more years. I like to be involved.
Q: What do you like most about teaching?
A: This will be my 14th year teaching. Now, I have third grade but I’ve taught seventh grade and eighth grade. Third grade was a wonderful year. In Arizona, I worked for Motorola. When I moved here, I changed careers. I went back to school, to YSU for two-and-a-half years and got certified to teach. I love being with the kids. I love having my own classroom. Sometimes, I learn as they learn. My emphasis is in math so I love math. I’m a math teacher at heart. I love geometry and multiplication, fractions, decimals and percents.
Q: Was coaching a sport you hadn’t played challenging?
A: I don’t know why but I’m not intimidated, I’m a tomboy at heart. I played baseball when Title IX came out in the ‘70s. I was one of the first girls to play baseball. For soccer, it was more a challenge trying to learn the game, to understand the game. I would have played when I was younger, but just baseball was available. We didn’t have softball for girls. I had three older brothers and that’s what we did.
Q: How old are your children?
A: Thomas is 20 and going to be playing soccer at Thiel College. My daughter Allison, 18, is going to be a freshman at Thiel. Ian is 13 and going into the eighth grade. My son Isaac is 11 and going into the sixth grade. My youngest is Victoria and she just turned 8. So I will be in this program for a while.
Q: Was it hard adjusting to the Midwest and meeting people?
A: It was, especially in this area because everybody has family here and they don’t need any additional friends. This is like our own little family here, with soccer people. We’re a community here. They welcomed me in and that’s what helped transition me to this area.
— Tom Williams, Vindicator sports staff